UCLA tries to keep its focus on the task at hand in the Pac-10
Conference
race as it visits Oregon State on Saturday.

The 15th-ranked Bruins (18-6, 11-2 Pac-10) are one game behind No. 1
Stanford in the conference standings and have handed the Cardinal their only
loss. Stanford comes to Pauley Pavilion next Saturday for a game that could
decide the Pac-10 champion, and possibly the top seed in the West Region for
the NCAA tournament.

But for that game to have any significance, the Bruins first must take
care
of the Beavers (10-16, 4-10) and complete a sweep of the season series.

UCLA won the tougher of the two road games in Oregon, coming away with
an
88-73 victory over the Ducks at MacArthur Court on Thursday.

Jason Kapono had 20 points and 12 rebounds while Dan Gadzuric
contributed 16
and eight for the Bruins, who built a 23-point lead and had it whittled to
eight in the second half. UCLA, though, gained some confidence by winning
down
the stretch without point guard Earl Watson, who fouled out with 12:07 to
play.

"It's a great sign of maturity for our team that we can execute without
Earl," said Matt Barnes, who led UCLA with 21 points.

The Bruins have matched their longest winning streak of the season at
six
games, and have won 14 of their last 16 since an 80-70 home loss to North
Carolina on Dec. 23 left them with a 4-4 record.

Oregon State played the role of spoiler perfectly Thursday, upending
Southern California 67-52. Brian Jackson scored 22 points while Deaundra
Tanner
added 13 and nine rebounds for the Beavers, who avenged a 73-47 rout at USC
on
Jan. 27.

"They spanked us pretty good last time, and we didn't forget that,"
Jackson said.

Jason Heide also scored 13 points for the Beavers, who held the Trojans
to
30 percent shooting from the field, including 4-for-21 from 3-point range.

"I thought we did an excellent job on defense tonight," Oregon State
coach
Ritchie McKay said. "I don't know if it was their poor shooting or our good
defense. It was probably a combination of both."

Kapono scored 19 points and hit five 3-pointers as the Bruins rolled to
a
67-40 victory over Oregon State on Jan. 25. UCLA has won the last four games
between the schools and holds a 69-30 lead in the all-time series.